The film persuades us to think long and hard about what prison means, and Lee has shaped it like a poem that builds into an epic lament, especially in a beautiful and tragic closing that risks absurdity to achieve the sublime.

An engaging if not riveting film based on David Benioff's adaptation of his own novel. It's not nearly Lee's best picture, and it's guilty of a few wrong turns that only a confident filmmaker could make, but it's assured and, perhaps more importantly, reassuring.

Lapses into melodramatic self-importance and gratuitous stylistic flourishes that take the audience out of the action -- are outweighed by the steadily amplified emotional power of this ultimately moving drama.

In the 25th hour, Mr. Lee exercises his prodigious visual talents with unusual restraint, and keeps some of his more confrontational urges in In the 25th hour, Mr. Lee exercises his prodigious visual talents with unusual restraint, and keeps some of his more confrontational urges in check. Because the movie is so measured, so melodic, its bursts of wild invention, which might otherwise be irritating, are electrifying. The ending, narrated by Mr. Cox, is as bittersweet and sincere an evocation of the American dream as I have seen on film in quite some time, acknowledging both the futility of the collective national fantasy and its consoling, resilient power. Almost as touching is a moment when Monty, staring into a men's room mirror, launches into a profane tirade against his fellow New Yorkers (and everyone else). His rage is impressively ecumenical, encompassing blacks, brutal police officers, gays, Osama bin Laden, the rich, the poor and every other ethnic or social type you can think of: all of them put down with ruthless, scabrous precision. The rant recalls a famous sequence in ''Do the Right Thing'' and also Eminem's more recent invocation, in ''White America,'' of ''so much anger aimed/in no particular direction just sprays and sprays.'' But like Eminem's rhymes, Monty's outburst, and the montage that accompanies it, contain tenderness as well as hate. Mr. Lee, an irreplaceable New York filmmaker, understands better than most that the true New Yorker's deep, exasperated and unquenchable love for his city is sometimes best expressed in the language of rage.…Expand

When it comes to 25th Hour, this one succeeds in spite of Spike Lee. One of my least favorite directors for the way he randomly interjectsWhen it comes to 25th Hour, this one succeeds in spite of Spike Lee. One of my least favorite directors for the way he randomly interjects race into films that are not about race at all, he manages to largely keep his mouth shut in this one, though he did add some very useless elements of racism that just did absolutely nothing for the plot in classic Spike fashion. Now, luckily for him, the film has a very interesting plot and storyline that Lee does tell well, but the true reason why 25th Hour is so successful is the acting. Truly a great cast, Edward Norton, Barry Pepper, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosario Dawson, Brian Cox, and Anna Paquin, are all awesome in this one and truly carry it. Norton and Hoffman are two of my favorite actors of all-time, but yet I cannot help but feel as though Pepper kind of stole the show a little bit. He was just that good. Emotionally powerful at many different times, 25th Hour is a riveting tale of man facing his last 24 hours of freedom before going to prison for seven years and on the back of the acting, this one soars in spite of Lee's attempts to try and mess it all up.…Expand

25th Hour isn't exactly a bad movie, it's just a pointlessly long, tedious, boring movie. The acting isn't horrible (it isn't great), but the25th Hour isn't exactly a bad movie, it's just a pointlessly long, tedious, boring movie. The acting isn't horrible (it isn't great), but the story has a central theme that tries to hard to be meaningful and moral. Also, the editing is choppy and exhausting. By the end, the movie turns into a preachy melodrama about not giving up on the life you want. Be warned; it's all cheese.…Expand

weird movie, about some criminal guy and his friends. Just another stupid movie that involves criminals going to jail and **** like that. I amweird movie, about some criminal guy and his friends. Just another stupid movie that involves criminals going to jail and **** like that. I am not interested in this LOW LIFE ****…Expand